Smells and Noises
by PygmyCritter
Summary: Tosh and Owen are sent to check out a call about strong odors and sounds coming from a building scheduled to be demolished.
1. Chapter 1

"Asking if she'd like a couple of asprin the next morning is not charming." Tosh said, exasperated at the conversation she was having with Owen.

"It's polite, and women like polite." Owen aruged.

"I think manners are rather pointless after a drunken one night stand. It might have been good manners to learn each others names first." Tosh replied. "Can we just drop this?" she asked. "It's pointless."

"You know what your problem is?" Owen asked as he leaned on the corner of Tosh's desk.

"No, but I have a feeling you're about to tell me." she sighed.

"You need to get laid." he said. "Oh, don't act all shocked." he added as she opened her mouth to argue. "You know it, you just don't want to admit it."

"You're disgusting." she said as she picked up the folder she'd been looking at and headed off to Jack's office. "Not everyone is obsessed with sex."

"Yeah, they are." he called after her. "Just most won't admit to it."

Tosh just shook her head as she walked off. She didn't even remember how they got onto the subject of one night stands or the etiquette that went along with them. Somehow though, Owen had sucked her into the topic and she had quickly become annoyed by it. What really annoyed her was the fact that he was right. She was lonely, and she didn't know how to change that. A part of her envied Owen, being able to go out and meet different women all the time, never really caring where it might lead, just so long as a good time was had.

She couldn't bring herself to do that. No, not her. She could barely get up the courage to speak to a man she fancied, much less invite him back to her place. And the man she truly liked, well, he didn't even know she existed unless he wanted to poke fun at her, or needed something done. She really did dislike him at times.

"Just got a call about some noises and smells coming from an old apartment building." Jack said as Tosh walked in and set the folder down. "I need you and Owen to go check it out."

"Why, what are you doing?" she asked, not relishing the idea of being alone with Owen at the moment.

"I need to go see a man about a spaceship." he answered as he slipped into his greatcoat. "Can you handle it?"

"Yes, of course." she nodded, secretly wanting to kick Jack for making her go anywhere with the arrogant little doctor.

"Okay then." he said. "I should be back in a few. If you need anything, just call."

"I know." she said as she followed him back downstairs. "Are you sure Ianto and Gwen can't..."

"They're in Swansea." Jack reminded her.

"Isn't that out of our jurisdiction?" she asked, eager to find a way to get out of going anywhere with Owen.

"Well, since there's not another Torchwood out there, at least, not that I know of." he said as his hand rested on the door handle. "No."

"What's going on?" Owen asked as he walked up, bits of muffin crumbs at the corners of his mouth.

"You, Tosh, building with funky smells." Jack quickly explained as he shut the door behind him. "Address is on my desk." he added as he popped his head back in before rushing off.

"Oh lovely." Owen said as he finished his muffin. "Gwen and Tea boy get a holiday, and we go inspect a dead cat rotting away in a flat."

"If Jack wants us to go check it out, then its probably more than a dead cat." Tosh said, heading upstairs to grab the address. "We can take my car."

"Oi, why not mine?" he asked.

"It smells." she replied as she came back down, grabbed her coat and headed out.

"We can roll down the windows." he said as he followed her out.

"It's the middle of January." she said. "I'm not going to freeze simply because you want to drive."

"You can let me drive your car then." he smiled.

"No."

"What now?" he asked, getting annoyed.

"I've seen you drive, and I rather like my car." she replied as she headed for the parking garage. "I'm not having you roll it, or crash it, or smash the oil pan again."

"One time." he said as he followed behind her. "And I paid for the bloody thing."

"Yes, you did." she acknowledged. "But, you're still not driving."

"I could take my car, and you can take yours." he said, thinking he'd hit on something with that thought.

"Don't be stupid, Owen." she said, patience quickly evaporating. "Just get in."

"I like my idea. That way I can drive my way, listen to my music..."

"Get in." she growled.

"Alright, alright." he said. "Damn, you really do need to get..."

"If you say it, I will hurt you." she warned as she started the engine.

"I've seen you in better moods." he replied as he fastened his seat belt. "This is a very ugly one right now."

"Don't speak anymore and it will improve." she said with a smile. "Let's just give it a try." she added, hoping that as long as he didn't say anything, he might not annoy her too badly.

"Fine." he said. "But don't complain because the drive is too quiet."

* * *

"I told you you wanted to take the left back there." Owen said smugly.

"Yes, I know." Tosh groaned. "You were right, I was wrong."

"I don't think that you really meant that." he said. "Try again?" he smiled.

"We're here." she said as she slammed on the brakes and got out.

"Guess you don't want to try again." he said as he followed.

They looked up at an old brick building, windows covered over by plywood, mortar missing from many spots, red bricks about to fall out. They looked up and down the street and saw no one, heard no one.

"Odd." Tosh said. "Middle of the afternoon, and no one is about."

"At work." Owen shrugged. "No one lives in this building surely."

"The piece of paper with the address say its about to be demolished." Tosh replied, handing the paper to Owen.

"We don't have any more people down in the freezer, do we?" he asked, chuckling a bit.

"Can we just go in and look it over so we can go home." Tosh replied coldly.

"Tosh, I'm sorry, I didn't think..." Owen began, remembering the hospital, and more importantly, Tommy.

"You have that problem a lot." Tosh said as she kept on walking.

"I didn't mean to be an ass right then..."

"Fine, no harm done." she said as she started up the stairs to the first floor, trying to find the flat the smell was supposed to be coming from.

"I'm sorry." he finished as he followed her up, deciding not to say a word.

"Jack said there were noises and smells." Tosh said as she followed the hall, heading towards the number she wanted. "He didn't say what kind though."

"Shhh." Owen said, tapping Tosh's arm. "Did you hear something?"

"No." she shook her head, straining her ears to listen.

"Listen, there." he said.

In the distance Tosh could just hear the sound of metal jingling and now and then, the sound of something being dragged.

"Its coming from down there." she said, nodding towards the end of the hall.

"That's what I thought." Owen said, moving down the hall slowly, gun drawn.

As they drew closer to the door, the sound grew louder. Both held their breath as they came to stand only inches from the door. They stopped and listened intently once again, but as they listened, the sounds stopped. It was replaced by the sound of heavy breathing. Heavy, raspy breaths could be heard just on the other side of the door, and an odor started to seep out under the door. At first it was faint, the smell Owen had encountered before when he'd left meat in his fridge just a bit too long.

As they stood there, the smell grew stronger, and soon it was to the point the pair of them were covering their mouths and noses with their hands, gagging at the stench. The only thing they could think of that matched it was driving past a dead animal on the side of the road in the middle of summer on one of the hottest days. Owen stretched out his hand to turn the handle, reluctant to see what was on the other side. As his hand hovered just centimeters above the handle, the door flew open.


	2. Chapter 2

Tosh and Owen closed their eyes against the air that flew at them from the flat. Slowly, they both opened their eyes, afraid of what they would find standing before them. To their shock and amazement, there was nothing.

"Okay, that was weird." Owen said, breathing heavily.

"The smell had died down some at least." Tosh said, trying to get her pulse to stop racing.

Slowly, they both walked into the front room, guns at the ready, looking for someone or something that might be causing the disturbances. The entire flat smelled of damp. Mold covered the walls and clung to the windows. The carpet beneath their feet was soggy and cold, stagnant water oozed up as they walked along.

"I didn't notice water damage anywhere else." Owen commented as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Neither did I." Tosh replied, opening a door that revealed a small closet.

"I'm gonna go check the bathroom." Owen said as Tosh made her way into a small bedroom on the other side of the flat.

"Okay." she nodded.

Owen walked into to the bathroom, looking around closely, listening for any noise. He noticed water in the bathtub and crept along to see if there was anything in the water. Slowly, he peered over the edge. He gasped as he felt himself shoved face first into the tepid water, someone holding his head under the water. Thrashing his arms about, he tried to free himself, but whatever it was seemed to be too strong.

Tosh finished her inspection of the small bedroom and came to stand in the middle of the dining room. Looking around her, up at the ceiling, down at the sopping wet floor, and at the mold infested walls, she could not understand where the smell of rotting meat had been coming from. Dampness she could understand, considering the amount of water damage, which only seemed to appear in this one lone flat. But the smell of rotting flesh...

The sound of splashing drew her attention and she headed for the bathroom. The door was closed and the handle would not budge.

"Owen!" she called out, banging on the door.

"Tosh..." Owen tried to respond as he his head emerged from the water. "Help." he yelled as his head popped up once again before being forced back down.

Tosh threw herself against the door, and seeing that it was useless, aimed her gun and fired at the handle. Splinters of wood flew and the door swung open to reveal Owen bent over the tub, soaking wet, his head still under water.

"Owen." she gasped as she tried to run to his side, to try to pull his head out of the water. As she neared him, however, she was thrown back by something she could not see. Owen continued to struggle against his invisible assailant, and Tosh got to her feet again and aimed her gun to Owen's left. Firing, she found nothing. She shot to the right, and suddenly a young girl appeared.

She was dripping wet, her stomach bloated with water, hair dangling in sopping tangles around her face. Her skin was a pale blue-gray and her eyes were pitch black. The few clothes that were still intact hung loosely around her, holes showing more of the unhealthy skin. She stopped and let go of Owen, tilting her head as she looked at Tosh. Slowly, she walked towards her, holding out her hands.

"I want to go home." she whispered. "Please, take me home."

"Owen, are you alright?" Tosh asked as she stepped back.

"Fine." he said, coughing up water.

"Please, take me home." the girl repeated in a cold, yet pleading tone. "I just want to go home."

Owen got to his feet, legs and arms still shaking and tired from their struggle against his attacker. He moved around the side of the girl, to Tosh's side.

"Owen?" Tosh asked, uncertain of what to do.

"I don't know." he replied, tucking Tosh behind him as they backed up. "Just slowly, head for the door."

"I want to go home." the girl repeated, becoming agitated. "Take me home!"

"Where is home?" Owen asked.

"Home." is all she replied. "Now." she demanded.

"Owen." Tosh's voice trembled.

"Take me home now." the girl's voice changed from a smooth, cold tone, to a more gravelly, hollow sounding growl. "Take me home."

"Tosh, go." Owen said as they backed towards the front door.

"Take me home now, or die!" the girl screamed, her voice taking on a demonic quality as she lunged herself at the pair.

Tosh and Owen fell to the ground, the girl on top of Owen who had Tosh pinned beneath him.

"Home." the girl growled as she put her hands around Owen's neck and began to beat his head against the ground.

Tosh struggled to free an arm as Owen tried to fight the girl off. Try as he might, he could not shake the girl. She appeared to be maybe twelve years old by his estimation, but she had the strength of a full grown man.

Tosh finally was able to free her arm enough, but she could not reach the gun that had been knocked away in the fall. She felt around for anything that could be used to get the girl off of Owen. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, her hand brushed against something. Looking over quickly, she saw that it was a piece of trim from around the door to the kitchen. Gripping it as firmly as possible, she swung out and caught the girl on the side of the head.

Owen, gasping for breath, sat up and found his own gun. The girl got to her feet, shook her head, sending water flying from her damp hair, and walked towards them again. Her breath was loud and raspy as he approached. Owen raised his gun and took aim. As he pulled the trigger, the girl stopped, cocked her head to one side and smiled at him.

"I want to go home." she said before vanishing.

"Come on." Tosh said after a stunned moment, helping Owen to his feet. They ran as quickly as they could all the way back to Tosh's car.

"What in the hell..." Owen gasped, rubbing his neck where large bruises were forming.

"I don't know." Tosh said as she threw the car in gear and took off. "We need to get a hold of Jack."

"I've never been real big on kids to begin with, and this definitely does not help." he said as he closed his eyes and put his head back against the seat. "I should find a job in a nice quiet hospital." he added as opened his eyes and stared straight ahead.

"A change of job does seem a nice idea right about now." Tosh agreed as she turned the corner, racing back to the hub.


	3. Chapter 3

"We need to get Gwen an Ianto back from Swansea." Jack decided after hearing Tosh and Owen's findings at the building.

"Creepiest kid I've ever seen." Owen shuddered.

"Obviously not a normal child." Jack stated. "We need to see if we can go back there, get some readings."

"Go back there?" Owen scoffed. "I'm not really keen on having that thing come after me again. You go ahead, good luck."

"Tosh?" Jack asked.

"I will if I have to." she said reluctantly. "But, really Jack, I'd rather not."

"You've come across some weird, nasty stuff in your time with Torchwood, why is this causing you to back down?" he asked.

"You go, see that girl, have her try to kill you." Owen said.

"Have her speak to you in that eerie voice. And how she cocked her head like that..." Tosh shook her head, trying to get the image out of her mind.

"Really, they're tearing the building down aren't they?" Owen asked. "Just leave it."

"You know we can't do that." Jack said.

"I know. Just sounds like such a smashing plan." he said.

"I'm gonna go call Ianto, get them back here, we'll need all the help we can get." Jack said. "You two just go home, take a shower, try to get some rest."

"Yeah, that's likely." Owen said as he got up, happy to go home to his nice, safe, quiet flat, not one creepy child to be found in that building.

"The shower sounds like a good plan at least." Tosh said as she followed him out of the hub.

"Tosh, I'm sorry about earlier." he said, grabbing her by the wrist. "I was an idiot."

"Its fine." she said, smiling. "I think you almost being drowned was punishment enough." she added, moving off towards her car.

"Don't forget when she tried to strangle me." he added.

"You know, if it wasn't a little girl who' done it to you, you could almost use this to get some women's sympathy." Tosh joked as she opened her car door.

"I can just change it." he said. "Change little girl to large angry man who beat me up because I tried to stop him shouting obsene things at his wife, they'll eat it up."

"You're horrible." Tosh laughed.

"But good at it." he smiled as he got into his own car and drove off.

Owen sat on his couch after a nice hot shower. He was tired, but didn't feel like sleeping. No, he was too afraid, though he'd not admit it to anyone, that the girl's face would appear before him as he shut his eyes. He would just sit up and watch TV.

Flipping through the channels, he stopped on Fight Club, but quickly changed the station, finding that movie hit a little too close to home. He didn't think he'd ever feel bad for a weevil, but he had been proven wrong. Nothing deserved to be used as they were. He stopped on an infomercial for some sort of miracle home cleaner and went to grab a beer. On second thought, he grabbed four. Sitting back down, he continued his search until he came across an old Bruce Lee flick. The acting was absolute rubbish, but it was better than nothing.

He watched Lee fly around delivering apparently devistating punches to his enemies, but as he watched, he slowly drifted off to sleep. He didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep until Tosh suddenly appeared. She was lying on the ground, a pool of blood forming around her. The girl, that _thing,_ stood above her, a pair of large scissors in her hands, dripping with blood, staring down at Tosh's motionless form with a chilling smile on her face. Owen could smell the stench of blood as he stood frozen in place, unable to do anything.

"I told you I wanted to go home." the girl said. "I told you what would happen..." she giggled as she knelt next to Tosh and opened the over-sized scissors and started chopping away at Tosh's neck, her head starting to roll off to the side as the flesh and tendons and muscles snapped and tore away from the bones.

Owen sat upright, breathing heavily. Looking around, he half expected the gruesome scene to unfold before him. Thankfully, he understood that it had been a nightmare. Switching of the television, he got to his feet, found his shoes and keys and left his flat.

Tosh sat staring at her computer screen, not doing anything, not really looking at anything, just staring. She'd tried to take a nap when she got home, but it was no use. The girl's blank stare appeared before her all the time. Even with her eyes open, she could think of little else. She got to her feet and began pacing around the room, trying to think of something she could do until Jack called and they could all go and take a look at that flat.

Her stomach grumbled and she decided to go out to the nearby Chinese restaurant for something to eat. Anything to get out of the house. She grabbed her purse and opened her front door and found Owen standing on the other side, hand poised and ready to knock.

"Owen." she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd just come by, see how you were after our little adventure earlier." he said, trying to sound casual.

"Oh." she replied. "To be honest, I'm a bit uneasy still. Can't really rest, and I don't want to stay home at the moment."

"Me either." he laughed. "You meeting up with someone, or maybe you want to go grab something to eat?" he suggested.

"Actually, I was just heading out to the Chinese place down the street." she answered with a smile. "But, I was going to be eating alone. I'd be glad of the company though." she added quickly, thinking she wouldn't have the chance too often to out to a meal with Owen just the two of them.

"Great then." he said as he stepped aside. "Walking then?" he asked.

"It's not too far." she nodded as she locked her door. "Unless you'd rather walk."

"No, walking is fine." he said as they made their way out of the building. "I'm still uneasy too." he confided. "Don't tell the others. I wouldn't be able to live down being scared of a kid."

"I think they'd understand." Tosh laughed. "But, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Owen said, glad to be out of his place, hoping some fresh air and pleasant company might improve his mood.

They walked down the street in a comfortable silence. Both were glad of the company, but neither had to say so to the other. They had seen many things in their time with Torchwood, but this had really shaken them up. They didn't know why, and they didn't really care. They just wanted to do anything to keep their minds off the incident until Jack called them in when Ianto and Gwen returned.

They sat themselves in a secluded corner of the restuarant and spoke of random, insignificant things until their food came. Owen sat chewing his food for a long while before speaking up.

"I had a dream." he told her.

"Is this something I want to hear?" she asked, looking up from her noodles.

"She killed you." he went on as he set his chopsticks down.

"Oh." Tosh replied numbly. "How?" she asked out of a morbid sort of curiosity.

"I don't really wanna go into that." he answered, pushing his food away. "That's why I showed up at your place."

"You were checking on me?" she asked, smiling. "You were worried. That's sweet."

"Of course I was worried." he said. "I don't need dreams like that keeping me awake at night."

Any reply on Tosh's part was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. Looking at the display, she felt a bit sick.

"It's Jack." she informed Owen as she answered. "Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can." she said after a few moments of Jack giving her an address of a building where more activity had been reported. "We have to go." she told Owen. "She's in another building."

"Of course she is." Owen sighed as he wiped his mouth, tossed his napkin down and got to his feet. "I'll get this." he told her as she grabbed her purse. "You go start back to your place, we can take your car."

"Thanks." she said absently as she left. She didn't want to face the girl again. A part of her feared the girl, but another part of her felt sorry for her. She wanted to go home. Who couldn't sympathise with that?


	4. Chapter 4

Tosh pulled her car up to the curb and she Owen found Jack pacing back and forth, stopping now and then to peer up at one of the windows. Seeing the pair, he turned and opened Tosh's door.

"Is this building up for demo?" Owen asked as he walked around the front of the car.

"No." Jack shook his head. "All of the flats are being lived in."

"All of them?" Tosh asked in surprise.

"That means she's in there with people?" Owen groaned.

"I've had that entire floor leave." Jack said as he led them into the building. "All of the others have been told to stay inside, and they'll leave if we need them to."

"What were you looking at when we pulled up?" Tosh asked.

"She kept peeking out of one the windows." he answered as he pushed the button for the elevator.

"Did she hurt anyone?" Owen asked.

"An old man." Jack nodded. "He's been taken to the hospital."

"So, he's not dead." Tosh said with a sigh of relief.

"He'll probably be wishing he were." Jack said as the doors opened and they stepped in.

"What happened?" Owen asked, afraid of what Jack might say.

"She stopped his heart somehow for a few seconds." Jack said. "He can't see anymore."

"Why?" Tosh whispered.

"She took his eyes out." he answered, swallowing hard.

"Who called you?" Owen asked.

"Andy was sent out, and he called me when the old man started describing the girl." Jack answered as the doors opened and they stared at an empty hall, devoid of any sound. "You two okay?" he asked.

"Yes." they answered together.

They made their way quietly down the hall, all the doors were open as they walked along, per Jack's request. He wanted to be able to see into all the flats, just in case she'd moved to a different one. As they approached the door to number 48, where the old man had been attacked, an eerie sounding bit of music floated out of the door, just barely reaching their ears.

"What is that?" Tosh asked, finding that she knew the music somehow.

"Not a clue." Jack answered as he moved along ahead of the other two.

The music grew slightly louder, and as they reached the door, they could hear the steady crackle of a record playing. Poking his head around the door, Jack looked around and saw nothing. The record became stuck and one small piece of music kept playing over and over again, adding to the group's apprehension.

"The smell." Tosh replied as she followed Jack and Owen into the room.

"The damp." Owen nodded. "Same way the other place smelled." he informed Jack.

"Tosh, you go check out the bedroom, I'll check the kitchen, Owen..."

"Don't say the bathroom." Owen warned. "I'll check the kitchen, you take the bathroom."

"Fine." Jack sighed as they each headed off.

Tosh slowly opened the door to the bedroom and found the sheets covered in blood. This must be where the girl attacked, she thought. Tearing her eyes away from the bed, she looked around, opening the closet door but found nothing. Letting out a sigh of relief, she went to join Owen and Jack.

Owen didn't have many places in the small kitchen to look. A few cupboards were large enough for a child to hide in, but they were found to be devoid of any child intent on murder. He saw a narrow door at the end of the kitchen, and drawing a breath, he approached the door, and slowly opened it. He jumped back and let out a yell of surprise as something fell on him. A mop. He'd screamed like a bloody girl because a mop had fallen on him.

"Owen?" Jack called as he turned around, moving to leave the cramped bathroom.

"Daddy!" the girl said as she stood, blocking Jack's exit.

"Jack?" Owen said as he and Tosh rounded the corner and found the girl staring at Jack.

"Daddy?" the girl repeated, sounding rather sad at Jack's non-response.

"Why is she calling you that?" Tosh asked as she stared at the girl who didn't seem to be aware of her and Owen even being there.

"I don't know." Jack answered as he stared at the girl who moved towards him.

"You mean that, right?" Tosh asked, feeling that Jack was holding something back.

"Yeah, of course." Jack muttered as he stared intently at the girl, a part of him wanting to reach out to her.

"On the count of three, move back." Owen warned as he lifted his gun.

"NO!" Jack yelled, startling the girl. "Just put it down, Owen."

"Jack..." Owen argued.

"Put it down." Jack repeated.

Owen did as he was told and lowered his gun. The girl stood between the group, still staring at Jack. Her body starting shaking and Tosh and Owen realized that she was beginning to cry.

"Don't you love me anymore, Daddy?" the girl asked in between sobs.

"Of course." Jack replied, motioning for Tosh and Owen to back away.

"Jack." Tosh whispered.

"Then why won't you let me hug you?" the girl asked. "I just want to hug you."

"I know." Jack said soothingly.

"I want to go home, Daddy." the girl added, her tears subsiding a bit. "Can we please just go home?"

"Yeah, of course we can." Jack smiled.

"Jack." Owen hissed.

"Leave me and my Daddy alone!" the girl said, turning on Tosh and Owen. "Leave us!"

The were both shot back against the wall and the door to the bathroom flew shut. Getting to their feet, they tried to open the door and found it was locked. Owen started smashing into it shoulder first, but it would not give. Raising his gun, he was about to fire when the door slowly swung open and Jack stood in the room alone.

"Jack!" Tosh said, rushing into the bathroom.

"It's fine." Jack said. "Lets get back to the hub."

"Where is she, Jack?" Owen asked, exchanging a confused glance with Tosh.

"She left." he said as he left the flat.

"She just left?" Tosh said skeptically.

"Where did she go?" Owen asked.

"I don't know." Jack shrugged.

Owen looked around one more time before shutting the door behind him. When he and Tosh got outside, Jack was leaning against the side of Tosh's car, staring up at the same window as before. He seemed to have a dazed look about him, and he said nothing. Not one word before getting into his own car and leaving Tosh and Owen staring after him.

"What the hell just happened?" Owen asked as they stared at the tail lights disappearing around the corner.

"I have no idea." Tosh said. "Ianto and Gwen need to get back here as soon as possible though, there's something wrong with Jack."

"You don't think that thing is actually his, do you?" Owen asked, wondering if Tosh shared his concern.

"I don't know." she answered with a shrug. "There's a lot we don't know about him."

"Well, I have a feeling we're about to learn a lot more." Owen groaned as they climbed into Tosh's car.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews, and for people adding this to their alerts. **

Ianto and Gwen were staring up at Jack's office, watching him pace around, seemingly talking to himself as he did so. Tosh and Owen walked and saw the pair, and following their eyes, became even more worried than they had been the night before.

"What's he doing?" Gwen asked as she turned around and set her cup down.

"Acting weird." Owen replied.

"That we were able to deduce all on our own." Ianto grumbled as he tore his gaze away from Jack.

"Someone's a bit snippy." Owen laughed.

"How was Swansea?" Tosh asked. "Did anything turn up?"

"Wild goose chase." Gwen shook her head.

"Literally." Ianto added sourly.

"So, you went to Swansea, on a wild goose chase, that led you to an actual goose?" Owen smiled.

"He's not really in the mood to see any humor in that." Gwen replied.

"We go all that way, just to see a great bloody goose."

"All that way?" Tosh laughed. "It's not even an hours drive."

"And I get back here, Jack's gone off the deep end and someone used up the last of my favorite coffee and did not replace it."

"Yeah, well, anyways." Owen said, wanting desperately to get off that subject, mostly because he'd been the one to use up the coffee. "Jack's gone off the deep end since last night."

"And what happened last night?" Ianto asked.

"We were looking into an attack that Andy had called us on." Tosh began.

"The noises and such coming from that building of flats." Gwen nodded.

"Yeah, turns out there's some creepy little girl who really wants to go home, so she tries to kill you." Owen said.

"Jack did mention a girl." Ianto said. "She was at the flat last night?"

"Jack was fine when we got there." Tosh said. "But, then he got locked in the room with the girl, and he was so different."

"That and she kept calling him Daddy." Owen put in.

"You don't actually think..." Gwen stumbled.

"A lot we don't know about our fearless leader." Owen shrugged. "Whos to say that any of us don't have kids running about we know nothing about."

"You're a doctor, right?" Tosh asked. "Obviously, Gwen and I would know."

"Maybe it was all very subtle." Ianto suggested.

"We're getting a bit off topic." Gwen said. "We should go back by each of those buildings, see if we can find anything else."

"Should we leave him alone?" Tosh asked, nodding towards Jack who was standing at the window of his office, staring down at all of them.

"If we split to go look at those bloody buildings again, that would put us at odd numbers if one stays to babysit the boss." Owen pointed out.

"I'll stay." Ianto said, staring back at Jack.

"I can call Andy." Gwen said. "He and I can look over one while you two do the other."

"Fine with me. So long as I'm not teamed up with Andy." Owen said. "Man's got major sarcasm problems." he muttered as he headed for the door.

"Wonder what it would like to be around someone like that all the time." Tosh joked as she followed.

* * *

"Elizabeth." Jack muttered. "Elizabeth Hadley."

He paced around his office, repeating that name over and over. When he saw that little girl, Elizabeth is who automatically came to mind. She looked so much like her. But, how and why was this girl showing up here and now?

"She can't be mine." he said. "She may have my eyes..or might have..." he mumbled on, ignorant of the fact that Ianto and Gwen's eyes were on him as he did so. "Haven't seen Elizabeth in years, centuries. I didn't even know your mother here in Cardiff. I knew her in Boston." he ran a hand through his hair as thoughts continued to fly around in his head.

"I want to go home." he whispered. "Where is home?" he wondered.

Stopping his pacing, he stood looking down at the others. So much they didn't know about him. So much he didn't want them to know. Secrets he'd always vowed to take to his grave. Ha! Grave. Not likely. His eyes wandered to Ianto, who returned his gaze. He wondered if he could talk to him about Elizabeth, about this child, about some of the things he'd kept secret for so long. Could he trust Ianto? He would see.

He was a bit confused as he watched the others leave, Gwen talking away on her cellphone as she left. Opening the door to his office, he leaned on the railing and looked to Ianto.

"Where's everyone going?" he asked.

"Out." Ianto shrugged as he made his way up the stairs. "I think we need to talk."

"I'm sorry you and Gwen had to go to Swansea for nothing." Jack said as he followed Ianto back into his office. "The tip I'd gotten.."

"Owen and Tosh filled us in on the girl." Ianto interrupted.

"Did they?" Jack asked. "Well, I assumed they would. That's why we wanted you two back here after all."

"They said she thought you were her father."

"She did throw daddy about once or twice." Jack confirmed, starting to doubt his idea of letting Ianto in on his past.

"Is she?"

"No. Yes." Jack mumbled. "I don't know, maybe." he sighed as he sat in his chair. "I have no idea whats going on."

"Who is her mother?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say a woman named Elizabeth Hadley." he answered, looking up at Ianto, feeling a bit more at ease again.

"Elizabeth Hadley." Ianto repeated. "How did you know her? When, where?"

"A long time ago, in Boston, and if I think this kid is mine, you can guess how I know her."

"How long ago?"

"I've done a lot of time travelling." Jack reminded him. "To pinpoint an exact time.."

"You remember her name, you remember where, you think this is her daughter, you can remember when."

"Really, Ianto, I don't think I've ever seen you like this." Jack chuckled. "Strong and no nonsense. I like it."

"Jack."

"It was about 1695." he finally said.

"What were you doing in Boston then?" Ianto asked, surprised at the year Jack had given him.

"I don't know. I just wound up there." Jack shrugged. "I met Elizabeth, I stayed with her for a bit, and then I left."

"You stayed with her?" Ianto asked. "If all those history classes taught me anything, they tended to frown upon women just letting strange men stay with them. She would have been gossiped about..."

"She already was a bit of an outcast." Jack explained. "People thought she was a witch or something."

"And you were more than a mere lodger."

"It didn't last long." Jack explained. "Only a month or two, then I left."

"Why wouldn't you tell them where she'd gone?"

"I don't know." Jack said, yet again. "I just kept thinking, what if she was Elizabeth's, what if she was..."

"Yours." Ianto finished for him, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Yeah." Jack whispered.

"Even if she is yours, she's hurting people Jack." Ianto reminded him. "She's not some sweet little girl. She can't be allowed to continue."

"I know." Jack said angrily as he got to his feet. "Just give me some time to figure out what she means by she wants to go home. Maybe I can find a way to do that."

"We can't let you do this to protect some dead girl who's going around killing people, just because you feel guilty about leaving her mother more than three hundred years ago." Ianto countered.

"Well, I know where she is, so I can protect her." Jack said, not willing to give an inch. "I just need some time."

"And in the mean time, she's free to hurt and kill people." Ianto took Jack by the shoulders. "Listen to yourself, Jack, you're supposed to be protecting people, not leaving them to be attacked by some child you don't even know."

"Some speech coming from the man who kept a cyberman in the basement for years." Jack replied in a low voice. "I'm going to find her." he said, removing Ianto's hands.

"I can't let you do that." Ianto said, recovering from Jack's harsh words.

"You don't have a choice." Jack said as he sunk a needle into Ianto's arm, catching the younger man as he folded into a heap. "I'm sorry, Ianto." he added as he put him down on the couch in the office. "I'll make it up to you." he promised before giving him a kiss.

Standing up, he grabbed his coat, and with one last look at Ianto, unconcious, he left the hub in search of the girl.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: For those of you who have not read my first two fics, Callum appears in them, Hollow Man and The Hatchling. Just wanted to say that so anyone who'd not read them wouldn't be lost.**

"Took you long enough." Gwen smiled as Andy got out of his car.

"Sorry, silly people back at the police station seem to think I work for them." Andy added sarcastically. "Perhaps you could have a word."

"Good old Andy." Gwen laughed. "Do you know anything about what happened here?" she asked, looking up at the building where Jack had his run in with the girl.

"Only what I hear around the station." he shrugged. "The lead detective is pretty tight lipped about it, about all his investigations actually."

"Who is the lead on this case?" Gwen asked, thinking maybe she could call in some favor or another.

"D.I. Reid." he answered.

"Callum?" she asked.

"You know him?" Andy said.

"You could say that." she smiled nervously.

"It was a shame about that little girl of his." Andy shook his head. "Such a sweet little girl she was, too. He and his wife would bring her down once in a while."

"Emily." Gwen sighed.

"You knew her?" he asked. "Of course, you and that little gang know everyone, running about in that great big mystery machine of yours."

"Would you stop comparing us to Scooby-Doo?" she sighed.

"Not my fault you lot remind me of it."

"Do you know D.I. Reid's wife very well?" she asked, not having seen the pair in a while.

"She quit." he replied. "She decided to stay home with the new baby."

"New baby." Gwen repeated. "It really has been a long time."

"How long?"

"About a year now." she guessed. "Okay, I've gotten a bit off topic. So, you can't tell me too much about all this then?"

"Nope, you'd have to speak to Reid."

"Gwen, have you found anything?" Tosh's voice called over comms.

"No, haven't really gotten a chance to look yet though." she answered.

"Owen and I have, and there's nothing here."

"Tosh, are you still friendly with the Reids?" Gwen asked.

"Yes." Tosh answered. "Why?"

"Because Callum is heading up this investigation."

"I'll give him a call." Tosh said. "Can you get a hold of Ianto?"

"I haven't tried, why?"

"I tried calling a bit ago, and got no answer." Owen's voice answered.

"You two head back to the hub, see if Jack's willing to tell us anything." Gwen suggested.

"I'll call Callum when I get back." Tosh said.

"Andy and I will meet you back there." Gwen said as they headed off into the building.

* * *

"Jack, Ianto!" Tosh called out as she and Owen walked in, Tosh hanging her purse on the coat rack.

"Hello?" Owen called when they got no response. "I'll go check Jack's office."

"Be sure to knock, you know, just in case." Tosh called after him.

"Thank you, that would have been a bit disturbing."

"No problem." Tosh laughed as she dialed Callum's number. "Callum? It's Tosh. I'm calling about a case you're working on."

"Let me guess, the poor old guy who had his eyes plucked out?"

"Yeah, that would be the one." she answered.

"You have good timing, I was just about to call you." he replied. "Is it okay if I come over to the hub?"

"Sounds good." Tosh said.

"Half an hour." Callum said before hanging up.

"Tosh!" Owen called as he stopped at the top of the stairs. "Grab my bag."

"What's going on?" she asked, grabbing his bag as she headed for the stairs. "Is he alright?" she asked when she saw Ianto on the couch.

"He's got a pulse, he's a bit cold though." Owen answered as he pulled out a vial and syringe from his bag.

"Where's Jack?" Tosh asked, looking around.

"I think Jack did this." Owen said, checking Ianto's heart rate.

"He couldn't have." she mumbled.

"Where is everyone?" Gwen's voice called out.

"On our way down." Owen answered, motioning for Tosh to grab Ianto's other side so they could get him downstairs.

"What happened?" Gwen gasped when she saw the pair carry Ianto down.

"No clue." Owen huffed as they struggled past Gwen and Andy.

"Grab a leg." Andy told Gwen, who quickly did as he told her.

"Is he alright?" Gwen asked as they laid him down on an table. "Where's Jack?"

"Out looking..." Ianto muttered sleepily. "He's prot..."

"Shhh." Owen told him as he hooked him up to a few machines.

"He's meaning to protect the girl?" Tosh asked in disbelief.

"Mmmhmmm." Ianto nodded slowly. "Elizabeth Hadley." he added before drifting off again.

"Go check that name." Owen said, turning to Tosh.

"Okay." she said, rushing to her computer.

She sat typing away, oblivious to everything around her, including the large door opening and Callum Reid walking in.

"Tosh?" he said as he came to stand next to her.

"Oh, god." she jumped.

"Sorry." he chuckled. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine." she said, going back to her computer work.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she had numerous windows open, the name Elizabeth Hadley appearing on all of them. "Is that the name of the person whos doing this?"

"I don't know." she replied. "I've found a lot of articles about her, she was in Boston in the late seventeenth century, thought to be a witch." she read aloud. "She was hanged for murder. They claimed that she killed her child, but no body was ever found."

"Is that what she means when she says she wants to go home?" Owen asked as he came to stand at Tosh's other side.

"I don't know, maybe." she shrugged. "I'll see if I can find anything else."

"Callum." Owen said, just noticing the man standing there quietly. "What are you doing here?"

"Tosh called, we seem to be working on the same case." he answered. "I'm starting to think that moving away from Cardiff wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"But the local color..." Owen smiled. "Where else would you get to work cases like this?"

"Honestly, if I never see another of these cases, I'll be a very happy man." Callum replied. "Where's Harkness?"

"He's a bit,how shall we say, AWOL." Owen replied. "Drugged Ianto and legged it."

"Oh, I see." Callum said dryly. "Does he know anything about this?"

"We think it's his kid." Owen said.

"Charm runs in the family I guess."


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't think Harkness is coming back anytime soon." Callum yawned as he looked at his watch.

"I'm getting worried." Gwen said as she kept looking at the door, expecting Jack to walk through any second.

"How's Ianto?" Tosh asked as Owen came to join them.

"Tired, he's sleeping right now." he informed them. "I think that when Jack gets back, he's going to have one very pissed Tea Boy on his hands."

"With good reason." Andy said.

"Okay then, its almost midnight and I've got a wife and baby waiting at home for me." Callum said as he got to his feet. "You can keep those files, they're just some copies I made. I think I can trust you not to let them land in the wrong hands, can't I?"

"I think we can manage." Owen said as he closed the folders and stacked the files.

"Congratulations." Gwen said. "On the baby I mean."

"Thanks." Callum said. "Call me when Harkness decides to show up." he told Tosh. "And don't forget to talk to Syn about..you know."

"Yes, I know." Tosh smiled as she walked him to the door.

"Do we get to know?" Owen asked, curiosity piqued.

"No." she shook her head. "Who is going to stay with Ianto."

"I will." Owen said. "What? If he needs anything, I'm a trained doctor after all." he added at the looks of surprise the others shot at him. "Go home."

"Come on, Andy, I'll take you home with me." Gwen said, grabbing her things.

"I don't think Rhys will like that." Andy quipped. "Unless you two have ideas of some sort of menage a trois. I don't go in for that kind of thing."

"I meant I'll drive you home, you little pervert." she laughed. "Good night." she called back to Owen and Tosh.

"Mind if I keep you company for a bit?" Tosh asked.

"No." Owen shook his head. "Still not too keen on sleeping,eh?"

"Are you?" she asked.

"Honestly, even less since Jack's gone off."

"I wonder where he is." she mused "I've tried getting him on comms, and nothing."

"I hope he doesn't let her get away." Owen said sitting down in a chair. "I can't see him doing something like that though."

"Neither can I, but, what if it is his?" she sighed, pulling up a chair of her own. "I'm not sure he can think clearly then."

"Well, even if he's determined to let her get away, there's a group of us here just as determined to stop her." he pointed out. "Have you found out anything more this Hadley woman?"

"A few bits here and there, but it was so long ago," Tosh said, grabbing some papers, flipping through them. "It's hard to find a lot. She lived outside Boston, there are a couple mentions of her 'wanton' ways, one or two people spoke of her when she showed up pregnant, and then there are some documents from when she was tried, convicted and hanged for murder." she explained as she went through them, handing him pieces of paper as she went along.

"But no body was ever found?" he asked.

"No." she confirmed. "No body,no grave site,nothing."

"How did they convict her?"

"It was just after the American witch trials, they thought she was a witch who'd escaped prosecution." she shrugged.

"So where did this baby end up?" Owen asked, getting up and pacing around.

"I don't know." Tosh shrugged. "We could ask Jack if he had any clue, if he were here."

"What do you think of a seance?" Jack's voice called out as he walked through the door.

"Excuse me?" Owen asked as he got to his feet.

"A seance." Jack repeated, looking around. "I think it would be the best way..."

His sentence was cut short as Owen's fist met his chin and he was knocked to the ground. He sat up and shook his head, and smiled up at Owen.

"You go, drug Ianto, take off without a word to anyone, just so you can protect some thing that's going around Cardiff killing people, and you just saunter in here asking if we'll do a bloody seance?"

"Owen." Tosh said, trying to calm him.

"No, its okay, Toshiko." Jack said as he got to his feet. "I deserved that. How is Ianto, by the way?"

"Sleeping." Owen answered quietly, letting himself be moved back to his seat by Tosh.

"Jack..." she began.

"All of us have done stupid stuff while we've been here." Jack interrupted her. "You brought Mary here, Owen and that damn spray, Gwen let out that sex craved alien, Ianto brought Lisa here." he reminded them. "All of us have done stupid, dangerous things that have ended up hurting someone."

"True." Tosh acknowledged with a slow nod. "We just had so much trouble understanding how you did that to Ianto. Even if he did bring Lisa here."

"Tomorrow night." Jack said as he headed down to check on Ianto himself. "All of you need to be here. Eleven."

"I called Callum, he's in charge of the police investigation." Tosh called after him.

"Great, tell him to come." he replied.

"Sometimes I marvel at his nerve." Owen muttered as he got up and headed for the door.

"You're not leaving, are you?" Tosh asked.

"No, I said I'd stay with Ianto, and I will." he answered. "I'm just going out for a bit of air. Want to come?"

"Yeah, sure." she nodded with a smile.

"A seance." Owen muttered as they started their walk.

"I've never seen a seance." Tosh shrugged.

"Been a lot of things I've never seen before until I started working here." Owen replied. "Some, I wish I'd never seen."


	8. Chapter 8

"A seance." Owen repeated for the hundreth time as he and Tosh walked along by the water. "He wants to hold a bloody seance."

"Are you that against seances in general, or just in this instance?" Tosh asked as she watched him.

"In general I think they're a hoax." he said. "In this case, I think its ridiculous that he wants to hold one to get in touch with his possible child's long dead mother to find out if he even is the damned father!"

"You know, if any normal person heard you say that, they'd think you mad." Tosh pointed out after thinking for a moment. "And not just because of the seance part." she laughed.

"I know." Owen admitted. "It's kinda tricky, when someone you fancy asks you what you do for a living."

"Can't you just say you're a doctor?" she asked. "I mean, you are after all."

"But then they want to know what hospital, and then you tell 'em its a private clinic, and they want to know which one..." he sighed. "Its a mess."

"Do you actually get to that point?" she asked. "I thought most of the women you had anything to do with were those you picked up in clubs."

"So little you know about me, Tosh." he said with a smile.

"I'm not sure how well any of us know one another." she replied. "I mean, look at whats going on with Jack."

"Please, can we not talk about him right now?" Owen pleaded. "I'll have my fill of him when we get back to the hub."

"Okay then." Tosh said. "What would you rather talk about?"

"You." he said. "I don't know anything about you, I mean other than you're a freaking genius, and you work far too hard."

"Not too much to know about me." she shrugged. "I go to work, I go home, go to bed, then I go to work again."

"You don't go out and have a girl's night out?" he asked. "I thought all women had hen nights."

"There are a very few people I feel comfortbale going out with for a girl's night." she confided.

"Ah, I see." he said thoughfully. "Is Reid's wife one? You two go out and try to pick up studs such as myself."

"I think Callum might have a small problem with that." Tosh laughed. "Studs?" she asked. "You don't really use that word in front of other people, do you?"

"Can you think of any better to describe a fine specimen such as myself?" he asked with a wink.

"Oh, Owen, you're hopeless." Tosh sighed as they looped back around towards the hub. "What if this seance thing does work, and this is Jack's daughter?"

"I don't know." he said. "Lock him up and make sure he doesn't try to help her get away."

"Hmm, lock up our boss to rid the world of his evil bastard daughter."

"Long dead, evil, bastard daughter." Owen put in. "Up to that point it sounds good. Who doesn't want to lock their bosses away?"

"True." she laughed.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine." Jack said as he looked around at his team anxiously. "This is Ruth."

"Ah, come on." Owen said. "That's no good for a medium's name."

"True." Callum agreed. "Shouldn't it be something more like Madam Zaltana?"

"Your friends are charming." Ruth said dryly as she sat down and looked up at Jack. "Can we get started? I have another engagement in an hour."

"Something we didn't need to know." Owen remarked to Ianto who stood back from the group, still angry and hurt by what Jack had done to him.

"Sure." Ianto muttered in return as he took his own seat, as far from Jack as he could manage.

"This had better be good, Harkness." Callum said. "Why I even have to be here..."

"I didn't think you'd want to be left out if it gave some answers to one of your investigations." Jack explained.

"Everyone, join hands." Ruth said, impatiently.

The group did as she told them, and sat, looking at one another in an uncomfortable silence as she began to speak to the spirit world, as she explained to them she was doing.

"Elizabeth Hadley." Ruth said soflty. "Speak to us, Elizabeth, tell us your tale of woe."

Owen and Tosh exchanged glances, and bit their lips to hold back the laughter that was eager to explode. Jack glared at the pair, and their smirks quickly faded.

"I feel something." Ruth gasped. "I feel...I feel..."

The group stared at her, mostly in amusement, each trying to figure out how it was Jack could believe in this kind of thing, but said nothing as the woman freed one hand and began to wave it about.

"Nothing." she stuttered.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Ruth said as she pushed her chair back.

"I brought you here, I paid you, and this is what I get?"

"I'm sorry." she repeated. "I can't tell you something I don't know." she said as she got to her feet. "This woman is not speaking to me, Jack. If she won't talk, I can't let you know what's going on with her."

"So, we all had to come here so your psychic could say nothing?" Owen asked as Ruth left, Jack glaring after her.

"Sorry to have wasted your time, Owen." Jack said, turning his attention from the closing door. "I'm sure there are a lot of drunk women you could have taken advantage of."

"Jack." Tosh said. "That's not fair."

"Go home." he told them.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Owen said. "Need a ride, Tosh?" he asked.

"Umm, yeah." she nodded as she watched everyone scatter. "Thanks."

Callum and Ianto stared after Jack, Ianto thinking for a moment he should go after him, but rethought that quickly. He wasn't eager to be around Jack after the stunt he pulled the other night.

"Talking to him yet?" Callum asked as the two men left the hub.

"No." was Ianto's short, sharp reply.

"Good." Callum said, a friendly smiling spreading across his face. "Make him regret what he did."

"Oh, trust me, I plan on it." Ianto said, although he knew he wasn't likely to stay mad at Jack for too long. They'd gone through too much together, and Ianto wasn't really pure as the driven snow, if he was to be honest about it.

"If this is his kid." Callum said. "He's gonna do anything he can to protect her." he added. "Trust me, I know."

"If she keeps this up, I guess the rest of us will just have to take Jack out of the equasion." Ianto said softly, not liking the idea.

"Hope it doesn't come to that." Callum said as they got to his car. "You're going to go back and talk to him, aren't you?"

"I hate being so transparent." Ianto said dryly. "But..."

"No explanation needed." Callum said. " G'Night, Ianto." he added as he climbed into his car and took off.

Ianto watched the other man disappear, and then headed back to the hub. It was time he and Jack had a nice heart to heart.


End file.
